Starstruck
by marauderette-47
Summary: Rachel and Jesse parted as friends, though both wanted something more. The years went by, and the former show-choir leads achieved stardom and happiness. Now they are growing old, but neither wants to do so alone. Especially Jesse, who will go to any lengths to find the girl who got away.


**Starstruck**

**By: marauderette-47**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the songs used in this work of fiction.**

**A/N: I had been trying to find a way to fit an idea like this into my other one-shot, "A Moment Like This", but I liked the light and fluffy feel it had, so I kept this out. But I hope you enjoy it now, and don't forget to review!**

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It was wrong of her to still dream about his enchanting green-blue eyes. It was wrong of her to still miss the feeling of running her fingers through his curly head of hair. It was wrong of her to wish that he would walk through the door of this very nursing home and serenade her as he used to. She knew it was wrong of her - but it all felt so right. It had been more than five decades since Rachel Berry-Walters had seen her first love, Jesse St. James, but she never forget - she wasn't sure she ever could.

Looking back on her life as an old woman now, Rachel knew that she'd achieved most of her goals and dreams. She'd been on Broadway, achieved fame, met a man, started a family, won her Tony awards, and even been part of a news-worthy scandal. But there was one factor in Rachel's life that was her one great regret.

Him.

Robert Walters had been a kind man before his death, but he had never even _slightly _measured up to Jesse. Rachel had loved him, yes, but not the way she had loved Jesse. _Never _the way she had loved Jesse. She would have gone after him - she would have run back into his arms had he ever come calling. But he hadn't. He broke all of his promises - he didn't go to her opening night as Elphaba in _Wicked_. He didn't present her with her first Tony. It seemed as though he'd disappeared off the face of the Earth, and Rachel had often wondered if perhaps he had been the victim of a terrible accident that she'd never heard about. But none of that mattered anymore - it was too late for them.

Rachel's nursing home was small - there were very few occupants in the two-story building. It had been her idea to live there - after the death of her husband, she could hardly take care of the home by herself, and she didn't want to burden her children or grandchildren by moving in with them. They had politely protested, as Rachel was sure they would have, but Rachel had made up her mind. The following week, she was the newest resident of the Lima Nursing Home. It smelled like bleach and cinnamon and the nurses always had showfaces on, but Rachel didn't mind much. She was content to spend the rest of her life surrounded by the pale pink walls of her new home - especially considering there was a piano in the main resting room, where she sat now. There were usually people sitting with her, but not on that day. On that day, she was alone.

Suddenly, the front door opened to reveal an old man. He was probably a new resident, Rachel decided, because the elderly of Lima hardly bothered to visit other elderly. But then, perhaps he _was _looking for someone - his eyes traveled the entire room, and then finally settled on Rachel herself. He smiled a tight smile, and made her way towards her. She smiled in return, thinking perhaps she would get to have a refreshing conversation with someone who _wasn't _a nurse or her child for once, and the man sat next to her on the pale orange couch.

"Hello," said Rachel politely, taking the old man's appearance. It suddenly dawned on her that he was not at _all _like the older men she had grown accustomed to seeing. He didn't walk slowly, nor did he limp. He was dresed in mostly black, including a _leather jacket_. He still had some of his hair, which was graying but still on his head. But he sparkled with life and joy, and that was what made Rachel like him almost immediately.

"Hi," he replied, in a silky voice. Rachel decided she liked the sound of it.

"Are you looking for someone?" Rachel questioned, running a steady hand through her own hair. It wasn't as long as it had once been, and there was hardly any brown left, but at least she wasn't bald like the woman who lived two doors down from her. The man took his time answering the former Broadway starlet.

"I am," he affirmed, nodding his head surely. "It's a longshot looking here, though. She wouldn't be in Lima after all this time. She's probably gone, and I'll never know."

It sounded like one of those sappy romantic movies, where the old man searches far and wide for his lover, who may or may not still be alive and available. Rachel - with her ever existant thirst for drama - wanted to help the man as much as she possibly could, and perhaps find out the ending of his love story.

"Maybe not," said Rachel hopefully. "I find that people who grew up here have a way of coming back, even if they moved across the world."

"Not her," the man replied, shaking his hand fondly and allowing a small smile to appear on his face. "All she wanted was to get out of Ohio and make something of herself. And she did - oh, she did. I watched her from afar, and even saw the pictures of her wedding. But a few years ago, she seemed to just...disappear. I've been looking for her ever since. But she's nowhere - this is the last stop for me. If she isn't here, I'm giving up."

"Don't do that!" said Rachel quickly. "That's not the way a love story is supposed to end! You have to keep looking!"

"How did you know it was a love story?" the man smirked, and that smirk was what did it for her. She couldn't reply - she was lost in his eyes. Even behind a pair of thick glasses, they mesmerized her. She was completely starstruck - as she had been every time she and Jesse had been reunited. It didn't matter that it should have been impossible that he was here - he was, of that Rachel was sure. Their relationship had always been like a dramatic movie, and now that dramatic movie was finally getting an ending.

"Hello?" the man asked, smiling. Rachel still couldn't answer. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern sparkling in those beautiful eyes. Those beautiful eyes...

_Oh my God - you're Jesse St. James. You're in Vocal Adrenaline._

"Oh my God," murmured Rachel, finally finding her voice again. Being the drama queen she was, she nearly repeated those words she had said to the man in front of her nearly fifty years before. "You're Jesse St. James - you were in Vocal Adrenaline."

Shock and surprise fluttered in those amazing eyes, which Rachel had yet to look away from. Jesse's eyebrows scrunched together, and he looked Rachel over again. This time, though, he stopped at her neck, where her faithful star necklace still rested. He looked away from it, and met her eyes, which he surely recognized this time. He couldn't speak for wait seemed an eternity, and when he could, he played along with Rachel's little game. "And you're Rachel Berry," he whispered, his eyes going somewhat glassy. "I saw you perform at Sectionals - your rendition of _Don't Rain on My Parade _was flawed. You totally lacked Barbra's emotional depth." By this time, the tears had already began to fall from Rachel's dark eyes. "But you're talented."

Seeing her begin to cry, Jesse's heart broke, and he scooped her up in his arms. Even after all those years, even after all that time, she still fit right into his embrace, like she belonged there. He smoothed her graying hair, shushing her and chuckling at her slightly. He had found her - in the most unlikely of places, he had found her. And - with what little luck they had - they were alone, in a room with a piano. Jesse's eyes trailed to the instrument, and he finally found a way to give Rachel her 'epic romance'.

He lifted her head up with his chin, and forced her to meet his eyes. He jerked his head back in the direction of the piano, and asked in a voice barely above a whisper, "Why don't we take it for a spin?"

Rachel chuckled between the wetness of her tears, and suddenly felt like a teenager again. Jesse grabbed her hand, and led her back to the piano that she had been playing just the previous day. They sat together on the bench, and Jesse gave Rachel his signature smile before playing the opening chords of _Hello_. For a moment, they were in the music store again, and Rachel nearly declared her nervousness. But she didn't - she didn't get nervous anymore.

_I remember when I used to get nervous._

Age had done nothing to Jesse's talent. His voice was deeper and older, but it was still pure and just as perfect as Rachel had always remembered it. Her own voice still sounded like that of an angel's, and their duet was filled with more love and emotion that it had been the last time they'd sung it. By the end of the number, both performers had tears pricking their eyes, and Jesse uncertainly took Rachel's withering face in his hands. She was still so damn beautiful - so damn perfect. He slowly and gently leaned his face in, waiting for her to tell him to stop, that she had a husband, that she was over him, but she didn't. Without any more fear, his lips met hers, and it felt like their first kiss all over again.

It was wrong of her to still dream about his enchanting green-blue eyes. It was wrong of her to still miss the feeling of running her fingers through his curly head of hair. It was wrong of her to wish that he would walk through the door of this very nursing home and serenade her as he used to. She knew it was wrong of her - but it all felt so right. It had been more than five decades since Rachel Berry-Walters had seen her first love, Jesse St. James, but she never forget - she wasn't sure she ever could.

The morning sun filtered through the window of Rachel's room in the Lima Nursing Home, and she awoke with a start. A dream - it had only been a dream. One of the best ones she'd have of him in a while...it had all seemed so real. He was exactly what Rachel pictured when she thought of what Jesse might look like older. She touched her fragile hands to her lips, where she still felt his kiss burning.

Rachel slowly got out of bed, and sat down in the chair that rested by the window. She looked out at the small garden, where the husband and wife from the floor below her were taking a walk amongst the flowers. Their home had been destroyed in a fire about six months earlier, and they had decided that they were too old to spend all that money to get a new one. Rachel envied them whenever she saw them together - she _wanted _that. Robert never _got _to grow old with her. But if Rachel was being completely honest with herself, it wasn't Robert she'd wanted to grow old with.

_I wonder where you are_

_And I wonder what you do _

_Are you somewhere feeling lonely_

_Or is someone loving you? _

Suddenly, a knock came at Rachel's door. Odd - she hadn't been expecting anyone. Slowly she got up, anticipating who she would see behind the door. Part of her broken heart pounded with adrenaline - what if it was him? What if he was back? But it didn't happen - Rachel's visitor was just a nurse, bringing her the morning paper and a cup of tea. Rachel thanked the woman, and sat down to drink her warm beverage and scan the headlines. Her heart stopped as she read the front page.

**AKRON TRAGEDY: NATIONAL SHOW CHOIR CHAMPIONS KILLED IN CAR ACCIDENT**

Rachel's breath caught in her throat. Carmel High School in Akron, Ohio had closed down nearly twenty years before - if they were talking about members of Vocal Adrenaline being killed, then they were talking about _older _members of Vocal Adrenaline being killed, perhaps on their way to a reunion or something. And Vocal Adrenaline hadn't won a National Championship since - since him. It was _his _teammates that were killed. She couldn't even bring herself to read the list of names of performers who had lost their lives - she was afraid she'd see his, and then her life would end. Her heart would completely vanish rather than just be broken, and she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it. She felt tears sting her eyes, and she almost dropped her ceramic teacup. She put her drink down, and tried to get a grip on everything. She couldn't fall apart...she couldn't fall apart...she couldn't fall apart...

The elderly couple that Rachel had been watching began to walk towards the door, hand in hand, and the man leaned over and kissed his wife gingerly on the cheek. Rachel imagined that that couple was her and Jesse - that she hadn't been such an idiot in high school. That she hadn't chosen Finn. That she hadn't broken her Jesse's heart. She would have stayed in Lima forever if it had meant being with him.

_I long to see the sunlight in your hair_

_And tell you time and time again how much I care_

One last time...was it such a crime to want to see him one last time? Deciding she _had _to know, Rachel looked back down at the paper that was still in her lap. She read down the list of names slowly, focusing on one name at a time. There were nine that were killed - it must have been an awful tragedy. As she finished the fifth name on the list, she prayed to whoever was listening that Jesse St. James's name would not be featured. Every sound in her world stopped - it was deathly quiet. So quiet...so Rachel was able to hear clearly when a nurse outside her door told someone, "Just in there, dear."

Rachel heard her door open and close, but she didn't look up yet - she couldn't. Name 6...still okay. Name 7...tears were still falling from her deep brown eyes...Name 8...

"You know that paper was from last week, right Rachel?"

Rachel's head snapped up, and she met blue-green eyes once again. Her broken heart swelled, and almost felt whole again. Her world came into focus...as she ran into his arms, she knew everything would be okay...

She never noticed the last name on the list.

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_I don't know exactly what I did there. The words just came to me and I couldn't stop writing. Of course now I'm crying, but I guess that was only to be expected. You can judge the ending for yourself - was the whole thing a dream? Was her mind playing tricks on her because of how much she missed Jesse? Did they both die? Did he really come back? I dunno! That would be up to you my dear audience. Don't forget to review!_

_*I've been thinking, and if you guys wanted me to add to the story, I could. Like an epilogue. Ya'll can vote on what you think the ending should be, and I'll do my best to make you content:)_


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